Wilson Hits Homerun with Wilson Steam 99S (mini review)

nice review Rabbit, I'll play some dubs Tu and Thurs and I'll have more to add.

I did a TW search and Black Widow has a 15L Poly, but I thins it's only a 1.32. I loved the gut mains with the 4G crosses the first time out so I will see how it lasts. Interesting you found the serve to be good, I did not hit serves my first time so I'll look forward to that tomorrow.

Drak

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Please do let us know how the gut setup holds up as that could be sweet!

I hit with the 99S yesterday. At the request of its owner, I strung it at 58.5 mains and 55.5 crosses. It was strung with MSV Focus Hex 17L. First, I think it was strung a little too tight for my tastes, but I was really amazed at how well it played strung with poly at what I consider too high a tension for me. Three of us, 2 4.5s and 1 5.0, hit for two hours and played some Canadian doubles.

Overall
The thing that really struck me was, as others have said, how much more clearance you get over the net. Once you get used to the frame, you can keep the ball lower for times when your opponent is at net. The other striking thing about this racquet was how the ball "dove" at the end of well hit strokes. This caused the 5.0 on the other side of the net (ProKennex about 15 years old) to mishit ball after ball. He remarked more than once about how cleanly I was hitting the ball.

Comfort, especially considering an all poly string job at 58, was excellent. Control was great and touch was as good as any other frame save possibly the C10 that I've hit with of late.

Serves
I was really impressed with serves. I arrived earlier than the other two and took some serves. I started off just limbering up, hitting some easy kick serves. I then hit a couple of harder serves. I was able to hit the corners, and with more pace than I've been getting with my Prince frames. This frame is much firmer playing than the O3's, but not necessarily in a bad way. Serves were definitely a plus with this frame.

Forehand
If struck properly, the ball really has a nice trajectory. Crosscourt forehands were for the most part unreturnable if I made it a point to step into them. On all shots, it seemed that the ball was coming down into the court much faster and at a steeper angle.

Backhand
One-handed backhand here and it was sublime. I hit a couple of balls that had so much spin on them they literally shot off the court after hitting it. And the really good news is that slices were effortless and "dug" into the court more. I was able to really hit the ball without worrying about this being a new frame. It was like I had played with the frame before.

Net
This frame is nice and fast around the net. Proper technique is rewarded with some good stick on volleys. Touch was great with half-volleys going back and angled volleys were pretty good too. I think my net game was a little off due to the all-poly string job and I did club a few.

Service Returns
The one thing to keep in mind with this frame is "swing". You really need to give the ball a good cut to get the proper response out of it. This is really most true for service returns at least 1st hit. I may, after some time with this frame, figure out how to hit a softer return, but out of the gate, if you swung aggressively, you were rewarded with a great return.

Downsides
The 5.0 who owns the frame called me to check on how I liked it. I basically loved it. He said there is a downside. He had the other one and strung it with ALU 16L. He said that he broke strings right after the 1st set. I took a look at the MSV in my frame and it was notched about a quarter through. I think a soft, cheap, thick poly may be in order here. That said, I'm probably going to string mine with Lux Ace or Pacific PF 18 or Isospeed Pulse 17 when they come in. I know for sure that I'll string it at 54 or 55 and the crosses at 52 or 53. I suspect from previous experience the BB Original may be a good candidate for this frame as well.

From my experience, this frame plays great right out of the gate. I didn't have to make any big adjustments.

And, I'm going to try a few hybrids in this frame ----- Draulike?

But this is a great frame. Maybe Mark Woodforde and Felix Mantilla did know something none of the rest of us did!

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Great review Rabbit. I agree with you on all accounts. The only downside like you said is the string durability. I had the same issue with BB Alu Power. After about an hour of hitting and playing points it broke on me. I wish I could have seen the look on my face because it was both disbelief and concern at the same time. I have used 4G 16g and it lasted about 3-4 hours the first go around of mostly hitting. The second go around I got a little extra out of the strings. Going to hit with Black Code 15L tonight and will see how that goes.

I definitely think a thicker, maybe cheaper, poly is in order for this racquet if you play at a somewhat high level. I don't think tension maintenance will be as important with this racquet because of the durability issues. They just won't last as long. You still want to make sure you're getting that snap back however. Will be interesting to see what people settle in with string wise.

I hit with the 99S yesterday. At the request of its owner, I strung it at 58.5 mains and 55.5 crosses. It was strung with MSV Focus Hex 17L. First, I think it was strung a little too tight for my tastes, but I was really amazed at how well it played strung with poly at what I consider too high a tension for me. Three of us, 2 4.5s and 1 5.0, hit for two hours and played some Canadian doubles.

Overall
The thing that really struck me was, as others have said, how much more clearance you get over the net. Once you get used to the frame, you can keep the ball lower for times when your opponent is at net. The other striking thing about this racquet was how the ball "dove" at the end of well hit strokes. This caused the 5.0 on the other side of the net (ProKennex about 15 years old) to mishit ball after ball. He remarked more than once about how cleanly I was hitting the ball.

Comfort, especially considering an all poly string job at 58, was excellent. Control was great and touch was as good as any other frame save possibly the C10 that I've hit with of late.

Serves
I was really impressed with serves. I arrived earlier than the other two and took some serves. I started off just limbering up, hitting some easy kick serves. I then hit a couple of harder serves. I was able to hit the corners, and with more pace than I've been getting with my Prince frames. This frame is much firmer playing than the O3's, but not necessarily in a bad way. Serves were definitely a plus with this frame.

Forehand
If struck properly, the ball really has a nice trajectory. Crosscourt forehands were for the most part unreturnable if I made it a point to step into them. On all shots, it seemed that the ball was coming down into the court much faster and at a steeper angle.

Backhand
One-handed backhand here and it was sublime. I hit a couple of balls that had so much spin on them they literally shot off the court after hitting it. And the really good news is that slices were effortless and "dug" into the court more. I was able to really hit the ball without worrying about this being a new frame. It was like I had played with the frame before.

Net
This frame is nice and fast around the net. Proper technique is rewarded with some good stick on volleys. Touch was great with half-volleys going back and angled volleys were pretty good too. I think my net game was a little off due to the all-poly string job and I did club a few.

Service Returns
The one thing to keep in mind with this frame is "swing". You really need to give the ball a good cut to get the proper response out of it. This is really most true for service returns at least 1st hit. I may, after some time with this frame, figure out how to hit a softer return, but out of the gate, if you swung aggressively, you were rewarded with a great return.

Downsides
The 5.0 who owns the frame called me to check on how I liked it. I basically loved it. He said there is a downside. He had the other one and strung it with ALU 16L. He said that he broke strings right after the 1st set. I took a look at the MSV in my frame and it was notched about a quarter through. I think a soft, cheap, thick poly may be in order here. That said, I'm probably going to string mine with Lux Ace or Pacific PF 18 or Isospeed Pulse 17 when they come in. I know for sure that I'll string it at 54 or 55 and the crosses at 52 or 53. I suspect from previous experience the BB Original may be a good candidate for this frame as well.

From my experience, this frame plays great right out of the gate. I didn't have to make any big adjustments.

And, I'm going to try a few hybrids in this frame ----- Draulike?

But this is a great frame. Maybe Mark Woodforde and Felix Mantilla did know something none of the rest of us did!

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Exciting to see more than a few of us definitely catching the bug now or whatever. Specially interesting re the serve aspect as I haven't even served properly with mine yet. Noted too the soft, cheap, thick poly observation, plus the touch/C10 comment (still, even during these racketaholic wilderness years, the C10 does have a certain habit of being taken out of my bag every now and then lol). Very nice review, Rabbit.

Will be interesting to see what people settle in with string wise.

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QFT couch... I'm taking copious notes of the reports starting to arrive back. Lots of curiosity here certainly re the likes of 4G, 4GS, gut/poly, TB, Poly Pro Tour, and a host of other options. I'm awaiting the disappearance of the snowy weather that has struck the UK lately, a bit of freeing up of time too, but hope to be checking out the 4G soonish.

Great review Rabbit. I agree with you on all accounts. The only downside like you said is the string durability. I had the same issue with BB Alu Power. After about an hour of hitting and playing points it broke on me. I wish I could have seen the look on my face because it was both disbelief and concern at the same time. I have used 4G 16g and it lasted about 3-4 hours the first go around of mostly hitting. The second go around I got a little extra out of the strings. Going to hit with Black Code 15L tonight and will see how that goes.

I definitely think a thicker, maybe cheaper, poly is in order for this racquet if you play at a somewhat high level. I don't think tension maintenance will be as important with this racquet because of the durability issues. They just won't last as long. You still want to make sure you're getting that snap back however. Will be interesting to see what people settle in with string wise.

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Thanks, always appreciated. Yeah, the 5.0 who broke the set of ALU said "you know, I just don't like stringing that much". He wasn't overjoyed that the strings broke that soon. Who knows, there may be a wave of them 2nd hand still like new for sale from the guys who eat strings.

Exciting to see more than a few of us definitely catching the bug now or whatever. Specially interesting re the serve aspect as I haven't even served properly with mine yet. Noted too the soft, cheap, thick poly observation, plus the touch/C10 comment (still, even during these racketaholic wilderness years, the C10 does have a certain habit of being taken out of my bag every now and then lol). Very nice review, Rabbit.

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Roger that!

I do think that while poly is an excellent choice in this frame, there are other strings which will work as well. I'm looking forward to a gut/poly combination. Either that or a thin poly/multi cross. I've always said I love stringing...

Just got back from my first hit with a full poly job, big improvement. I put a full job of 16 gauge poly at 64 lbs in and it was way better than the junk TNT that came in it.

I would like to try it with the new 15 g. 4G, now that could really work well. This racket can pull off some crazy shots, my forehand which I use a lot of top spin anyway was popping up big time. And my opponent came in a lot and my cross court passes were excellent.

The serve is very solid with good bite off the court, and pretty easy to control. My opponent has a big serve and I was pretty impressed with the way I was able to control the returns.

I slice a lot on the backhand side and I hit some really nasty biting slices. My opponent is better than me and he dictates play the majority of the time, but I was still able to play good defense and my lobs were landing in consistently.

That is pretty good considering that this racket is quite a bit more powerful than I am used to and I will still knock some more of the power out of it with a different string job.

For players that are more used to rackets with some power in them this racket will fit them nicely. The other thing I noticed is that it seems really comfy, I felt no shock of any kind. Plus it swings very easily and could easily have some weight added to it.

I will have to give this racket some more time with some different string jobs and see what happens.

Hit a few balls with the 15L Black Code tonight and definitely liked the feel of it in this racquet but didn't seem to offer the spin and bite of the 4G. Only hit a few balls in the warm up and then switched back to the 4G for the match. Just felt more comfortable with the 4G playing a singles match since that's what I've been playing in this racquet. Will have to give the Black Code some more time in a few days. Will report back.

Ok, just a warning to those who think they might be having arm problems with the 99s. I got to demo it and the stringer said he strung it to 58 lbs with Luxilon 4G (mains and crosses). So, as you all know, that is relatively high for a poly string. Well, I first was exited and hit outside with it on a 45 degree day. I could feel the vibration through the frame when I was hitting big. So, i blamed it on hitting in the cold and then got to hit it indoors with newer balls. Same thing, just could feel the whole frame vibrate. I thought this was cool, until I realized that is the definition of tennis elbow, and about 3 months ago, I just got over a bout of that as i was experimenting with different string tensions/patterns. However, a number of you guys probably don't hit as hard as me and just use a window washer motion and probably will never even feel this. Also, I am thinking, that the racket was simply strung too high with all poly, further showing the hollowness of the frame. I am also spoiled, as my main racket is the head microgel mp, which, the "microgel" is just a fancy word for silicone injected in the frame, which gives it this rock solid feel and no vibration to it(plus its way less stiff, also). I also have a pure drive gt, which is very similar to this frame in stiffness, but again did not notice any vibration on my frame. If you hit anything in the top third of the racquet hard enough you will feel what I am describing(unless I got just a bad demo model). I don't have tennis elbow anymore so i didn't have any pain hitting with this, but was wary and didn't use it too much.
As for the spin? Well, I was experimenting with a new combo of strings in my babolat, and thought it made more or as much spin as the 99s! Though, compared to the babolat, the 99s was smaller(i was pleasantly surprised, as I don't really like how large the head is on the babolat) and more shaped like my 98square inch head microgel(which is more like a 95 compared to other company specs), which i liked. I had decent control/accuracy with it and overall, felt almost like hitting with the most powerful wood racquet because of this give and vibration through the frame. This caused me to return it quicker just in order to keep my arm in 100 percent shape that it is now. Oh, and I almost forgot, all rackets had the same dampener in that I always use, so that was not a factor. So, for now, until or if they make a more solid players racket version of this, I am going to put my new string combo in my microgel and then decide if I am going to use my babolat or head or both for the summer.

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I strung up 16 gauge poly at 64lbs. in it and felt no vibration, it seemed very comfy to me.

Just got back from my first hit with a full poly job, big improvement. I put a full job of 16 gauge poly at 64 lbs in and it was way better than the junk TNT that came in it.

I would like to try it with the new 15 g. 4G, now that could really work well. This racket can pull off some crazy shots, my forehand which I use a lot of top spin anyway was popping up big time. And my opponent came in a lot and my cross court passes were excellent.

The serve is very solid with good bite off the court, and pretty easy to control. My opponent has a big serve and I was pretty impressed with the way I was able to control the returns.

I slice a lot on the backhand side and I hit some really nasty biting slices. My opponent is better than me and he dictates play the majority of the time, but I was still able to play good defense and my lobs were landing in consistently.

That is pretty good considering that this racket is quite a bit more powerful than I am used to and I will still knock some more of the power out of it with a different string job.

For players that are more used to rackets with some power in them this racket will fit them nicely. The other thing I noticed is that it seems really comfy, I felt no shock of any kind. Plus it swings very easily and could easily have some weight added to it.

I will have to give this racket some more time with some different string jobs and see what happens.

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We knew you would come around from the first impression with the demo strings. I have given up on demo's as the crappy strings make it almost useless.

My daughter has taken over my 99s. She used it in a couple of USTA matches this weekend without any previous match time on it. Hit it great in the first match and came very close to beating a player she had no business beating (lost the 3rd set 10 pt. tiebreak). In her next match she got a bit tentative with it and hit a lot of balls long. It will take some time to figure out if it is a good fit for her or me.

I definitely think that you have to commit and take a rip at your shots with this or everything will fly on you. That is true of most any racquet but I think the super open pattern exaggerates this.

We knew you would come around from the first impression with the demo strings. I have given up on demo's as the crappy strings make it almost useless.

My daughter has taken over my 99s. She used it in a couple of USTA matches this weekend without any previous match time on it. Hit it great in the first match and came very close to beating a player she had no business beating (lost the 3rd set 10 pt. tiebreak). In her next match she got a bit tentative with it and hit a lot of balls long. It will take some time to figure out if it is a good fit for her or me.

I definitely think that you have to commit and take a rip at your shots with this or everything will fly on you. That is true of most any racquet but I think the super open pattern exaggerates this.

I only got to hit with the 99S for about an hour, but I found that it was better when I was hitting with my normal stroke than trying to brush up on it too much. Like others have said I can definitely hear the strings snap back. I liked the amount of action I was getting on my slice and kick serves. I'm dying to get out and log more hours on this racquet.

I've noticed that there is a point of diminishing returns with this racket if strung under the recommended tensions it seems like there's not nearly as much "snap" to the strings and they are just left out of place and any benefit of the string bed is nullified. Has anyone else noticed this?

I've noticed that there is a point of diminishing returns with this racket if strung under the recommended tensions it seems like there's not nearly as much "snap" to the strings and they are just left out of place and any benefit of the string bed is nullified. Has anyone else noticed this?

Nostradamus is the 2nd re incarnation of a banned poster, whom will go un named. he is pretty well known for making intentionally dumb comments just for grins and giggles, (which on occasion are a bit funny, but also gum up the threads) and then feeds off the attention it provides. That is classic trollish behaviour and most, (like me) allready have him on the ingnore list. Unfortunately, I still am privy to the conversations when ever people quote him . Just an FYI. Carry on gents.

Nostradamus is the 2nd re incarnation of a banned poster, whom will go un named. he is pretty well known for making intentionally dumb comments just for grins and giggles, (which on occasion are a bit funny, but also gum up the threads) and then feeds off the attention it provides. That is classic trollish behaviour and most, (like me) allready have him on the ingnore list. Unfortunately, I still am privy to the conversations when ever people quote him . Just an FYI. Carry on gents.

I actually see a ton of people playing with this in my ex-academy. I tried it a bit and all i can say is SPIN. The right technique and you have yourself a weapon. However, for flat hitter or people who just dont have that modern topspin tennis game. It wont help. For everyone else. It will mean all the difference in the world!

^^^^
Doh! Ha ha, that's me being dense. I don't know about the Stanford connection, but Power Player and I are pretty convinced that our mystery man is/was FedAce, who also happens to hail from San Diego. Nostradamus was hanging in the 2012 Babolat PD club thread for quite a while, and that developed as the group consensus identity guess in that clubhouse. The dead give away is that the comments are never really mean, or inflammatory, just kind of light hearted, slightly funny, and over the top silly. That's so FedAce for sure.

^^^^
Doh! Ha ha, that's me being dense. I don't know about the Stanford connection, but Power Player and I are pretty convinced that our mystery man is/was FedAce, who also happens to hail from San Diego. Nostradamus was hanging in the 2012 Babolat PD club thread for quite a while, and that developed as the group consensus identity guess in that clubhouse. The dead give away is that the comments are never really mean, or inflammatory, just kind of light hearted, slightly funny, and over the top silly. That's so FedAce for sure.

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Yes, one in the same. FedAce, despite his struggles with grammar, math, and general logic swore up and down that he was a Stanford graduate.

Played with my 99s the first time last night. Had it strung with RPM Team 17 @50lbs(strung on a Baiardo).

My usual setup is PB10Mid strung with BHB7 17G@48lbs.

Positive Findings:
-Very noticeable spin addition compared to the PB10Mid. Hitting partner had to adjust to my shots (mishits a couple of times) due to the extra spin.

-Very easy stick to volley, tons of pop and huge sweetspot compared to the PB10Mid. I just love volleying with this racket!

-Easy stick to serve with. My first serve percentage went considerably higher. Maybe I do need a lighter racket??:twisted:

-Comfortable! Probably because of the combination of soft poly, low tension, and the string pattern. I didn't have any problem related to the stiffness of the frame or the stringbed.

Negative Findings:
-Less plow than then PB10Mid. This is too be expected since its almost 30g lighter. Once my hitting partner had adjusted to the extra spin, he didn't have any trouble crushing the ball back.

-Too much power. I had many balls sailing long towards the end of the hitting session. I am not to blame the frame at this point, I think it was more of the string (too low tension) and tension lost during the hitting session (3 hrs).
At the end of the 3 hr session, the mains were all over the place, badly notched. Measured DT with ERT, came out at 26DT which is rather low.

can anyone who has got or used this racket make a comparison with th the APD GT?

I got one coming next week and I can't wait.

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Can't recall if it's the GT version but drakulie does compare 99s with APD (and other racs) at the very start of this thread. Actually I think there's quite a lot of discussion contrasting with APD in earlier portion of this thread.

Compared to my APD Originals the 99s is more solid and is generally better made, is better all around (ie touch, control, more all court suited, more going on serve-wise), and, yup, the topspin is bigger when you let rip from the backcourt.